


Ms. Daisy Dursley, the second bedroom on the right, 26 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey.

by Only_Happy_Endings



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dudley Dursley Has a Magical Child, F/M, Professor Harry Potter, Redeemed Dudley Dursley
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:41:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24085279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Only_Happy_Endings/pseuds/Only_Happy_Endings
Summary: Dear Ms. DursleyWe are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on the first of September. We await your owl by no later than 31st July.Yours sincerely,Harry PotterDeputy HeadmasterAka just another Dudley redemption story
Relationships: Dudley Dursley & Harry Potter, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom & Harry Potter
Comments: 22
Kudos: 222





	1. The Letter

For the 12th time that evening, professor Potter pulled the envelope from his pocket and turned it in his hand a moment, before sighing and putting it back again. He ran his hands through his hair - a nervous habit he had picked up after the war - before grabbing his cloak and deciding to go for a walk to clear his head. Hogwarts was beautiful in late July. The students wouldn’t be back for another two months, and the warm rays on the empty school grounds were serene in a way he had never experienced before becoming a professor. It was nice to know his castle still had ways to take his breath away, all these years later. 

He was so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed he had come across another person until he stood up from where he had been tending to one of the outside garden patches, causing Harry to jump

“Oh hi Harry”

“Er, hello Neville”, Harry smiled. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there at first”

“I could tell. I was just planting some dittany for Pomfrey for the upcoming school year. It’s a really powerful healing herb. Did you know when you mix it with….” Neville trailed off, noticing that Harry wasn’t really paying attention. Instead, he was staring with what looked like a slightly crumpled Hogwarts letter grasped in his hand. “Do you want to tell me what this is all about?” Neville asked, wiping the dirt off his hands and peering closer

“Nothing!” Harry said hastily, trying to shove the letter back in his coat, as if that would cause Neville to forget what he had seen

“How long have we been friends, Harry?” Neville sighed. “We slept in the same room for 6 years, we fought in a war together, we picked up the pieces afterwards, we were groomsmen at each other's weddings, our children play together, we’ve sat next to each other at every great hall feast for the past 10 years. I think I can tell when something is on your mind. I haven’t seen you this stressed since James got in trouble for trying to touch the whomping willow.”

Harry’s mouth twitched into a smile at the reminder of his son's antics. He really had inherited his namesake’s knack for getting into trouble. Neville did have a point. This particular piece of parchment had been bothering him for days. Wordlessly, he handed the letter over to Neville. 

“Mrs. Daisy Dursley, The second bedroom on the right, 26 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey.” Neville read aloud. “Hang on, Dursley? I’ve heard that name before. Isn’t that the aunt and uncle who raised you?” 

“Yeah” Harry sighed. “My Cousin, Dudley. He’s the same age as me. He must have had a child. I wouldn’t know, I haven’t talked to them since I left at 17. Didn’t figure there was anything left to say between us…”

“So what are you going to do?” Neville asked, deciding to move past the fact that Harry was only just finding out he had a niece of sorts, 11 years later. He had gathered from their time at Hogwarts together that Harry hadn’t had the best home life.

“I guess I know what I have to do" Harry responded, reaching out to take the letter back. “I sent the rest of the first year letters out days ago. I’ve just been putting this one off as long as I could”. Neville patted him on the back sympathetically. Normally he would offer to take his place and do the home visit, or come with him for support, but he had a feeling that this was something Harry needed to do alone. “Right, thanks Neville” Harry said, awkwardly waving goodbye as he marched back up to the castle. 

19 years later, and Harry Potter was going back to Privet Drive.


	2. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number 26, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. And by normal, they meant they were happy, and friendly to their neighbors, and they cared very deeply for one another.

Mrs. Abigail Dursley was a plump and kind woman. She had long, brown curly hair and a face splattered full of freckles. She was an extraordinarily bright scientist, and she had a sharp tongue about her. Her quick wit was normally used for gentle teasing, but she could turn harsh at the first sign of a mean spirit remark. Mrs. Dursley did not put up with bullies.

Mr. Dursley was an uncommonly large man. He was tall and well built. In his youth he had been excessively fat, and he was admittedly still much bigger than he should be, but most of it had been trimmed down or turned to muscle from his college boxing days. His hair, too, had changed with age, fading from an unfortunate flop of bright yellow to a darker, more dignified dirty blonde, kept neat and well maintained on his head. If anyone from his youth were to run into him today, his looks would not be the only major change they would notice. Dudley Dursely was described by his wife and close friends as a gentle and kind soul. He was always cheerful and ready to lend a hand, and would talk the ear off of anybody who would listen about his daughter Daisy, the pride and joy of his life. She had her mother’s quick wit and intelligence, but seemed to put it to more use causing clever pranks and landing herself in trouble.She turns 11 tomorrow! I cant believe how quickly she’s growing up! He thought to himself as he was driving home from Grunnings, the drill factory he had taken over as director of from his father just a few years prior. He was mentally going over the barbeque with his parents he was planning for tomorrow when his phone started ringing. “Hi love! I’m on my way home now” he answered his wife, “It was a great day at the factory - we sold nearly -” 

\- “Dudley”, Abby cut him off, with a rather strange tone. 

“Yes dear? Is everything alright?”

“Oh yes, yes, everything's fine. Hurry home, would you? There’s somebody here to see you. It’s your cousin. The one you mentioned growing up with”

Dudley felt his stomach drop and all at once began to feel nauseous. He hung up the phone without saying another word and tightened his grip on the steering wheel as he tried to focus his energy on just driving home. Some part of his mind registered hearing his phone ringing again and then falling silent, but he could only focus on one thought. This day had taken a complete turn into the unknown. Harry Potter was at his house. After 19 years, he was going to see his cousin again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a Kudos if you liked it. I've got literally nothing to do for the next 11 days until my summer classes start, so expect daily updates until I finish! It's all up in the air right now so let me know if you have any ideas you'd like to see for future chapters. I might try to work them in for you :)


	3. Privet Drive Again

Harry apparated at the end of a row of houses on Privet Drive. He let out a breath and glanced causally up and down the street, but nobody seemed to notice his sudden appearance, or take any interest in the dark haired man in the long cloak as he marched towards his destination.

Something about walking down the Street of Privet drive made Harry feel both small and angry. Suddenly, he was 10 again, walking home from wherever he had run to hide after Dudley and his gang had decided to play another round of Harry hunting. Harry shook himself out of it, almost annoyed at how much he was letting the familiar row of houses affect him. He was a grown adult. He had faced Voldemort down and lived to tell the tale on numerous occasions. He could hand a house call. Ginny had offered to come with him for support of course, as had Ron and Hermione when they had heard where he was going, but Harry felt that just one wizard bursting into the house and telling an 11 year old she had magic was already a lot to handle. It had been for him. Hermione had a similar memory from when Mcgonagall had visited her parents, and had agreed with Harry. She had to practically hold Ron back from joining, as he still wanted to ive the Dursleys a piece of his mind for the way they had treated him when they were younger. “Bars on his window, Hermione! He shouldn’t go anywhere near those lunatics again!”.

Harry came to a stop at number 26. It looked the same as every other house on the street. The same as number 4 had looked his whole childhood, with the perfect white paint job and the carefully manicured flowers. He wondered faintly if there was a convenient cupboard under the stairs as well. He stood there a moment, considering his options. It wasn’t too late to turn around and send somebody else. Neville was more than fit for the job, or perhaps he could send Hagrid, Harry thought to himself with a chuckle, imagining an adult Dudley grabbing his butt in fear of returning tail. Why should he deliver the news himself? Why should he feel any obligation to the people that caused him so much pain?

A feeling tugged on Harry, from somewhere deep inside, a feeling which housed the words I don't think you’re a waste of space, and the realization that the Dursley’s were the only biological family he had left in the entire world. A family that now included an 11 year old little girl who was a witch. A little girl living in Privet Drive, dealing with magic and not knowing who she was. Before he could stop himself, he had stepped up and knocked on the door.

“Just a minute!” came a feminine voice from inside the house, and after a moment of scuffling the door was swung open to reveal who Harry assumed must be Daisy. If you had lined up a thousand children and told Harry that one of them was the offspring of Dudley, he would have picked her out last. Sure, they both had blonde hair, but that’s where the resemblance ended. Daisy was wearing a football uniform and had grass stains on her knees. She had the football itself tucked under her arm and appeared to have just come back from exercising. She had intelligent eyes and she threw him a friendly if not somewhat cautious smile. “Hi. Can I help you?” She asked

As deputy headmaster, Harry had the privilege of explaining magic to many muggleborn first year students. To be honest, it was one of his favorite parts of the job. Once they got over the initial confusion or suspicion, and got to see Harry demonstrate an act of magic (summoning lights from his wand was one of his favorites), the delight and overflow of questions from the children and parents alike was great to see. This was the first time he had found himself at a complete lack of words

“Um… is your father here?” He eventually managed.

“Oh, you know dad? He’s still at work, but I can get mum if you want”

“Oh yea. Sure. alright.” Harry nodded, a little dazed by how surreal this all was.

A minute later a woman came to the door. She eyed him up and down curiously before addressing him. He was a very odd looking fellow, not the kind you saw around this sort of neighborhood at all. He had dark skin, long, unkempt hair, which fell to his face and concealed half of what appeared to be a splitting scar across his forehead. He wore a pair of round wire rimmed glasses, and behind them were the brightest green eyes she had ever seen, even if they looked a little weary. On top of all that he was wearing what appeared to be a very long, black coat that was completely unfitting for the weather.

“Hi. What can we do for you?” She asked

“Hello, ma’am” Harry attempted a smile. “I’m Harry. I’m sure you don’t know me, but I’m actually Dudley’s cousin. I lived with him and the Dursely’s growing up. Would it be alright if I came in for a second?”

The moment Harry’s name left his lips, Abby had put the pieces together - the odd expression, the strange outfit. Dudley had mentioned the cousin he had grown up with, who left to go to a magic school (Not that she really believed him about that. After all, a magic school? There was just no way. Dudley’s imagination must have simply filled in blanks). He moved out after 17, and wasn’t heard from since. Dudley always mentioned his cousin with hints guilt and regret for how he was treated, and although he never went into too much detail, Abby had enough to piece together a not so pretty picture of an orphaned cousin, dropped at the doorstep of an uninviting family. She had spent countless nights reminding Dudley that what had happened was not his fault. He had been a child too. He hadn’t known any better. She offered Harry a returning smile and opened up the door, gesturing to the living room.

“Why don’t you come in. Dudley should be home soon. I think the two of you might have a lot of catching up to do”.


	4. You're a Witch, Daisy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I missed a chapter yesterday, mother's day got a little crazy! Anyway here's an extra long chapter, I had a little too much fun with this one. Enjoy!

An hour later, and Dudley still couldn’t believe his cousin was sitting in his living room, having a cup of tea and complimenting his wife on her homemade biscuits. He looked good, Dudley had to admit. His hair was still all over the place, but it was longer, and his face had grown into it. He was still small and skinny, but more filled out, and with a healthy glow. He held himself with an air of confidence and authority that Dudley was having a hard time matching in his head with the scrawny 16 year old who had been constantly haunted by nightmares. Harry had greeted them as “Professor Potter” (“He’s actually my cousin. We grew up together”, Dudley explained. Harry just stared at him a moment, before schooling his expression and pushing forward with the conversation). He explained that Daisy was being offered a position at Hogwarts, the same school of magic he had attended as a kid.

Although still a little shocked at having this all thrown in his face, Dudley would be lying if he said he was completely surprised. There had been moments, as Daisy was growing up. Moments that couldn’t be explained, like when she was 5 and somehow turned all the bathwater pink, or when she wanted dessert as a kid, and Dudley could have sworn he saw it float towards her. Abigail had always done a good enough job explaining away the oddness (“She was painting today! She must have had pink paint in her hair and we didn’t notice!”) that Dudley could tell himself that he was just imagining it, but deep inside he always knew there was something different about his kid. Something, well, special. Not freaky, like his mom and dad had called it at all.

Abigail had taken the news better than he had expected. She thought he was crazy at first, but after Harry had taken out his wand (and Dudley had to fight all his instincts not to duck under the table at the sight of it) and turned his teacup into a rabbit, she went from skeptical to full of questions at the speed of light. Dudley knew he would have a lot of explaining to do as to why he didn’t tell her magic was real when Harry left again.

Daisy, on the other hand, was beyond thrilled. Dudley had hoped to sit her down and have a conversation with her about her options, but he could already tell that she had made up her mind. She was practically vibrating with excitement at the revelation that she was a witch and that she would be able to learn magic. “Real magic, Daddy! Can you believe it?”. She insisted on Harry leaving the teacup as a rabbit. “I'm going to name him Peter!” She announced.

While Dudley wasn’t in love with the idea of sending his child away to learn magic, he knew that once she had made her mind up there would be no way to keep her from going. Plus, she would have Harry. Harry would keep his daughter safe, wouldn’t he? He had protected Dudley from magic once, a long time ago.

“What about all the things she’s going to need?” Dudley asked, looking down at the list. A cauldron? A Wand? Where was he supposed to find things like this? 

“Not to worry” Harry chuckled. “There’s a place in London. I’d be more than happy to take Daisy myself” He assured Dudley.

“We’ll certainly be coming as well!” Abby interjected, and Dudley felt a surge of pride for his fearsome wife. Of course they wouldn’t be letting Daisy go alone, if they decided that this was what they were going to do. She was only 11! At that thought he once again felt that familiar twinge of hurt for Harry. Why didn’t he have any memories of taking Harry shopping for these things when he was 11? He had just been a kid, sent alone with some stranger in London without anybody wondering about his safety. Dudley tucked that thought away for later. Now wasn’t the time or the place.

“Of course, you’re more than welcome to come. My friend Hermione’s parents didn’t know anything about magic either, and they thought Diagon Alley was very interesting when they visited. I can teach you about our currency, we have this bank called Gringotts...”

As Harry continued to droned on, Dudley couldn’t help feeling a sudden flash of resentment towards him. Ever since Daisy came into his world, everything he’s done has been for her, and now he feels completely out of his depth. How is he supposed to be there for his daughter when he knows absolutely nothing about this world she supposedly has a place in? A Knut? That can’t be a real unit of currency! Not for the first time, he feels as though Harry has something that he doesn't. 

Finally, all the questions asked and answered, Harry stood up to leave. Dudley jumped up as well. This was his chance.

“Let me walk you out”

“As complicated as it looks, I think I can find my own way out, thanks” Harry said, gesturing at the door. Dudley refrained from rolling his eyes. It seemed Harry hadn’t lost that signature snark that had been the start of so many fights when they were kids. He followed Harry out the door anyway. Slippery as he had been back then, he wasn’t going to let him get away so easily this time.

“Listen, Harry” Dudley grabbed him by the elbow to keep him from marching down the driveway, as he seemed so determined to do. “I know it’s been a long time, and that you aren’t the same person you were back then, but I’m not either.”

“Astute as ever, Big D” Harry muttered, pushing his hands in his pockets and looking vaguely uncomfortable at the topic of the past was dragged up.

“Oh shut up for one second, would you?” Dudley scowled, before remembering he was trying to be apologetic and schooling his features back into a smile. Being quick to anger was still something he was working on with his therapist. “I….. listen, this isn’t easy for me either. But, the things that happened in the past. To both of us. They weren’t right. And, I’m…. I’m sorry for my part in them.” It was quiet for a moment, as both men just stared at each other, neither knowing what to say. Harry kicked a pebble around with his foot for a second, before responding.

“Well. I have to say, I wasn’t expecting that”

“Yeah well, everything about today has been a little unexpected, wouldn’t you say?”

“Listen Dudley” Harry started again after another moment of silence, “The things that happened… The way we grew up on Privet Drive. It’s all in the past. We don’t have to talk about this. I know it makes us both uncomfortable. Why don’t we just forget this, and I can just be Professor Potter to your daughter.”

“No”

“Im sorry, no?”

“No.” Dudley repeated. “That… that doesn’t work for me”

“What do you mean?” Harry asked

“Here's the thing Harry. I don’t know a lot about your life, and you don’t know a lot about mine, but my daughter is a witch. And she’s going to be part of both of our worlds, which, like it or not, ties us together now. And you know what? I’m grateful for this. I’m grateful because I’m finally getting the chance to look you in the eyes and say I’m sorry. Let me try to start to fix this. But you don't want that, do you? you’re too much of a coward to try, aren't you?”

“I am not a coward.” Harry growled.

“Then prove it!"

Another moment passed, both boys silently glaring at each other, daring the other to be the one to say something first. Another second, another. Just as it seemed like the two would be locked into a staring contest for the rest of their lives, the door swung open and Daisy stepped outside.

“Oh good! You haven’t left yet! Mom wanted me to give you these, since you liked them so much” Daisy smiled as she handed Harry a tupperware of the biscuits from inside.

“Err… thanks Daisy”, Harry said, reaching out and taking the tupperware. 

“No problem, Uncle Harry!” Daisy said as she wrapped Harry into a big goodbye hug. “I’ll see you again before school starts, right?”

Harry and Dudley made eye contact above Daisy’s head as she was hugging Harry, and he swore he saw something soften in those bright green eyes at being called uncle.

“Yeah… yeah I suppose you will” He responded to Daisy as she ran back in the house. 

Left alone to just the two of them again, Harry pulled a feather quill and a piece of parchment out from seemingly nowhere and scribbled down a note.

“Here. We have a home phone. Give us a ring sometime. Maybe we could have you over for tea sometime. I can answer any other questions you might have.”

“I’d like that a lot…. Uncle Harry.” Dudley said with a laugh

“Oh shut up” Harry responded, but there was a slight smile on his face at Dudley’s prodding.

Tea at Harry’s… Dudley could do that.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I've got literally nothing to do for the next 11 days until my summer classes start, so expect daily updates until I finish! It's all up in the air right now so let me know if you have any ideas you'd like to see for future chapters. I might try to work them in for you :)


End file.
